Chapter 119: Banquet
In the 36th year of the Shu Tian Calendar, at year-end, in the large camp in the East Market, all officers and soldiers sat on the ground. In front of the soldiers, cattle and sheep and pigs were roasting over the fire, chicken and duck and fish steaming in the cauldron. The banquet was about to begin, but the drill ground, silent as the grave, lacked the relaxed atmosphere of a banquet.
The Imperial Court already had clear mobilization planning. This troop in the East Market would set out soon—three months at the shortest, half a year at the longest. The confidentiality of certain news in the Capital City was basically zero, so such news had already spread throughout the marketplace outside.
Due to a full year of the new army in the East Market being overly “arrogant,” and no matter how much they were impeached, they could not be toppled; so whether in the Martial World or the Capital City, officials great and small did not want the “rogue corps” to stay here.
For those Confucian scholars in the Yao Capital who controlled the Imperial Court and Under Heaven through the classics, Wu Fei and the group of southern barbarians he led astray were the root of all evil. Upon hearing that Wu Fei was finally taking this rogue corps away, firecrackers and gong and drum teams were preparing, saying it was to cheer for the East Market Army’s “victory from the first battle.”
But compared to other places in Da Yao, when the East Market Army went out of the city for field exercises, it was considered amiable—at least they paid for things and did not forcibly take civilian women. —But in the Da Yao Capital City where throwing a brick could hit an official, this group of lower-class people from rope-pullers suddenly rising above these Capital City masters caused collective discomfort here.
It was also fortunate that Da Yao now was neither a democracy nor an “monarch offline system” with a young or senile and muddled emperor.
Otherwise, letting Da Yao’s “public opinion” make decisions, such Capital Region troops could not be trained. Because for these masters who could not see the border deaths and injuries, the army’s first criterion was values; as for combat power, the masters believed that since they threw in money, the combat power must be high.
Military armaments were the easiest to turn into “models.” PPT reports were the most promising; just like a thug with a knife facing the common people—as long as not on the battlefield, it was always a strong posture.
Xuan Chong: The current “public opinion” situation in the Yao Capital conforms to the “historical pattern” of a dynasty’s mid-to-late period. The “public opinion” representatives who monopolize all channels of expression have completely turned into vested interest holders. These people under the Son of Heaven’s feet are unwilling to pay “blood labor” themselves, nor willing to give “blood reward” to outsiders, habitually using the ritual and law system to make people outside the circle automatically enter the furnace chamber as firewood.
That is, the “defense” ultimately shouted by a large group of Confucian scholars in the Yao Capital is actually making the poor men outside fight desperately without cost. Little do they know, only crossing class boundaries is true “blood reward,” not charity flung from class steps relying on “righteousness.”
The big soldiers from rope-puller backgrounds need the Capital City people to stop despising them as “outsiders.”
And those young generals from imperial relatives’ backgrounds also do not want to be despised by court ministers as “good-for-nothing heirs relying on family shade”; they want to have true “right arm” status, with direct rights to influence the emperor’s decision-making advice, rather than indirectly relying on so-called family relations favored by the emperor to live in debauchery.
These young radicals, in the instant of waking from past dreams of dog fighting and cockfighting strolls, would occasionally sober up, wondering if one day without merits they lose power, can they stay safe?
In this past year, Wu Fei successfully led these dandies into a “midlife crisis.”
The dandies, after gaining power through the military, were initially complacent, but as the unmasked “disgust” from various factions in the Capital City grew, they gradually realized that today’s power was still illusory. Thus, under Wu Fei’s guidance, they studied marching knowledge with utmost diligence.
Just like the Monkey King in Journey to the West who was also happy for a time on Flower Fruit Mountain, and after realizing he would die, began seeking immortals and the Way.
Under Wu Fei’s guidance, this army knew they could defend today’s power through establishing merits.
The empowered dandies valued status more than ever before! —Now they were firmly united around Wu Fei, no longer needing Wu Fei to whip them, but proactively recruiting people they could enlist, pulling in some family servants, training them intensely, then taking them to enjoy, and a few days later starting to teach them together.
And this group of dandies, imitating Wu Fei’s methods, after letting those servants enjoy a wave, began “brainwashing,” talking about the meaning of struggle.
Xuan Chong: Just like in the 21st century, after a major crash in securities and finance, some people would perform aerial acrobatics or lie on tracks. The root cause is inability to accept “loss of power”; originally as upper-class people able to sit in high-end restaurants and clubs despising those toiling masses; once thinking of being kicked out, unable to accept being looked at with the same “gaze” by those they once gazed at that way. In fact, ordinary people would not even notice these “fallen financiers,” but the once “self-satisfied” feeling of these upper-class people would make them extremely sensitive to all gazes after losing power.
Humans are social animals, and society has dominance rights; after gaining power, feeling the discomfort of “loss of power,” to prevent all this, they dare to do anything, with super strong subjective initiative.
…”To succeed, go mad first, disregard everything, charge forward”…
On the drill ground, Wu Fei: “Everyone has heard, our army will leave the Capital City in a few months. Um, I can now clearly say that the rumors in the marketplace are correct.”
At this point, Wu Fei looked at these officers and soldiers; most people breathed a sigh of relief, the kind of calm after confirming “we’re in for a knife.” Not the panic of an uncertain future.
No one in this large camp was a fool; those kicked out of the camp or who withdrew were immediately impeached by censors, sentenced, and ended up thrown under vegetables—everyone had seen it.
Wu Fei waved his hand, picked up the tin horn and said: “Does everyone know Martial World affairs? Grave robbing, robbery, all need a lookout; in our marching and fighting, some reconnaissance, guarding key points, cannot be entrusted to untrustworthy people!”
The officers and soldiers all looked at Wu Fei in unison, clearly with united hearts and minds in their gazes.
Wu Fei said gravely: “If the warfare goes poorly, our retreat is very narrow. Surely, everyone understands: advance only, no retreat.”
Numerous officers and soldiers: “Advance only, no retreat!”
Wu Fei: “I need some people to follow me in vanguard marching; the first battle must build momentum, death rate is extremely high; as for who is selected, let Heaven decide.”
Then the army lined up one by one to draw lots, placed the lottery slips aside for registration. Occasionally some brothers swapped slips, but as long as not many bullying few, and no arguments occurred, the supervising officials turned a blind eye. Because some brothers trusted others more.
After completing the lottery and swaps, everyone began the banquet.
After Wu Fei checked the numbers of upper, middle, and lower lots, he nodded, confirming the frontline combatants, scouts, and civilian labor supervisors in the army. The first battle was arranged this way; in the future, everyone would go up.
As a newly trained troop, the pressure of the first round of combat was enormous, especially the first rank engaging, which must hold like a rock; Wu Fei did not use Zhao Cheng’s vanguard selection method, but for the soldiers assigned the harshest tasks, he did psychological preparation! In the next few days, those who drew dangerous lots got the best food treatment. The whole army would remind them not to flinch.
…With fine martial skills to render service to the monarch’s house…
A banquet was also set in the palace. This family banquet invited most imperial relatives and nobles, even some very distant ones; of course, if carefully screened, all participating families had people going to the East Market large camp.
Prince Zhou was also at his seat, at this time most of his attention on his father, wanting to understand his father’s intentions. Since it was a family banquet, Prince Zhou could not bring advisors.
Of course, even more because between imperial family father and son there was a barrier of rights, some words could not be said directly.
Emperor Shu wanted to tell Prince Zhou some things, but feared Prince Zhou would tell people around him. —Could only let Prince Zhou think it out himself, or have some close ministers around Prince Zhou figure it out, while sealing the news.
For example now, this banquet had a meaning: to make Prince Zhou pay attention to the “East Market Army”; if the “East Market Army” was usable, then Prince Zhou should pull them in before everyone else, and this banquet today could be defined as “pulling in nature.”
If the “East Market Army” was unusable, then treat as chess piece to appease public anger, kill chicken to scare monkey to deter the Imperial Court. Then it could be defined later, making today’s banquet a “warning”; when killing, the monarch is “wise,” not having given those “arrogant officers and soldiers” no chance.
The imperial family would grasp the final right to define. But how much of this meaning could Prince Zhou comprehend?
When the banquet was in full swing, Emperor Shu announced he would tour the western border, and Prince Zhou would stay in the Capital City as regent.
Upon hearing this news, Prince Zhou knelt on the ground dazedly receiving the imperial decree.
…Emperor Shu gazed at the passionate vigor in Wu Fei’s large camp, and he too felt somewhat restless, recalling his youth…
In the large camp, after the banquet ended, all soldiers settled to sleep, while in Wu Fei’s military tent lights blazed, non-commissioned officers one by one receiving orders, staying in the tent.
Compared to a few years ago on the cockfighting field, where slow opening bets led to shouting, now everyone waited calmly. If this battle was won, it was worlds apart from the petty gains of cockfighting gambling.
The shouting during cockfighting was because of result uncertainty—settle early to end early.
But now all results could be changed, clearly written in the non-commissioned officers’ drill manual on every item to increase win rate. Wanting to win, so waiting for Wu Fei’s arrangements.
Wu Fei in the camp like a machine, listing every marching road’s local storage and granary data, and required troops, then handing to non-commissioned officers to handle!
Despite already having a non-commissioned officer team of nearly 150 people, the huge workload made everyone feel: if there were more people, it would be awesome.
After all non-commissioned officers received tasks, Wu Fei turned to his affairs officer Gongshu Wang and said: “How is the train system.”
Gongshu Wang: “In your planned first campaign, frontline transport capacity can reach three thousand shi per month. In the second campaign, it can reach two thousand shi.”
Wu Fei: “Has Your Majesty given us the giant beast been inspected?”
What Wu Fei referred to was the siege combat weapon, the town-road iron lions, eight in total. These were Da Yao’s top war giant beasts, a level higher than the Golden Bull.
Relative to the Golden Bull being good against infantry, the iron lion’s movements relatively sluggish, specialized in countering large units; its big jaws could easily bite and heavily damage flying units like Guiche. But facing infantry’s nimble thrusts, the iron lion’s killing efficiency was somewhat excessive; the abrupt impact could crush soldiers into meat paste, but the soft iron belly only had a wrought iron layer as thin as an iron pot, which soldiers could pierce to destroy internal transmission parts. Because after all not a tank, the power system unable to support tank-like thick steel armor.
Of course not without thought of installing wooden planks on the belly for defense, but the belly was also the heat dissipation structure; with wooden planks baked red-hot, just a splash of oil would make the belly burn, and Da Yao’s current enemy Haotian had no shortage of enemies who could shoot fire arrows; thus, iron lions maintained current form.
The iron lion’s special skill was a wave of savage charge. In recent years on the battlefield, Hao State’s giant pottery figurines had suffered this, suddenly ferociously rammed, waist collapsed at once, known as killer ace against large weapons.
Gongshu Wang: “Currently the iron lions are in good condition; the Yao Capital’s maintenance team is capable, just needs slight tuning.”
Wu Fei: “Do these maintenance teams have any resistance to going to the battlefield?”
Gongshu Wang: My lord, you have given them plenty.
…Artisans’ iron hammers calculated for blood reward…
Before Wu Fei arrived, the iron lions mostly suffered heavy combat damage, their flank iron skins always deficient. After investigation, all iron lions’ battle damage was repaired by dragging back to the city; these artisans dragged by fiefdoms for unpaid labor not only did not use fine steel for repairs, nor use furnaces, just bound with iron strips.
Da Yao’s existing iron lions’ rust-prone structures were also not timely coated with oil for maintenance.
As for why not bring artisans to the battlefield? Able-bodied men would run. And other deserters might return to villages without livelihood, but blacksmiths and carpenters lived by skills, could settle anywhere with a market.
Now, Wu Fei required: iron lions in combat must maintain “high-intensity” ground maintenance. Non-commissioned officer corps drills confirmed that bringing engineering teams directly to the battlefield, repair after every battle, would raise iron lion repair rate.
For this, Wu Fei provided artisans wages double the rear, and shared battle merits based on iron lions’ battlefield achievements.
This incentive system, plus Gongshu Wang’s professional oversight, was implemented.
…Placed mechanical gear chess pieces on the silk book map…
Wu Fei looked at Gongshu Wang and instructed: “In battle, stay behind me, try not to be at the front.”
Gongshu Wang: “Rest assured, my lord, I still hope to return to the Southern Border with you to establish a sect. Won’t be taken out so easily.”
Wu Fei nodded, then turned attention to international military, especially Da Yao’s two frontlines’ battle reports.
That military strategist of Haotian whom Wu Fei dreaded was currently not in Bo Prefecture.
And without Zhao Cheng, the difficulty of army clashes in Bo Prefecture was obviously a notch lower. The Hao Army’s military strategist there now had no large-scale corps infiltration maneuvers, just rotten positional warfare in camps.
As Wu Fei stared at this Bo Prefecture silk book map, his gaze was intent, like a tiger hiding in the jungle.
Wu Fei: Facing these opponents, he still had “some” confidence.
…Perspective switches to Sha Prefecture…
Zhao Cheng was watching the western situation. Prince Bo was seizing cities and territory, while southern Yongzhou was still very quiet.
Zhao Cheng focused on the Sha Prefecture defense line, now Haotian’s focus for troop mobilization. Still coping with the three Da Yao large camps directly opposite, and paying close attention to Yongzhou movements.
Because the year before last, over ten thousand in southern Yongzhou crossed two hundred li in a major maneuver, making Zhao Cheng cautious! Thus leaving considerable troops to guard.
He glanced at his own large camp’s rear in Sha Prefecture, frowned. Haotian monarch interfering in that side’s military personnel matters forced him to hold reserves, to cope with “key moment mobilization lag” accidents.
For the Sha Prefecture defense line, Zhao Cheng specially transferred a batch of generals from Bo Prefecture, inserting them in his backline.
